delightfully piratey
- adjective
- Informal
:
encantadoramente pirata
- He greeted the guests in a delightfully piratey manner, shouting 'Ahoy!' as they entered.
Examples
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The party decorations were delightfully piratey!
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She wore a delightfully piratey hat with a large feather sticking out the side.
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The decorations gave the whole room a delightfully piratey atmosphere for the children's birthday party.
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This theme is delightfully piratey!
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He greeted the guests in a delightfully piratey manner, shouting 'Ahoy!' as they entered.
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She wore a delightfully piratey hat with a large feather sticking out the side.
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The decorations gave the whole room a delightfully piratey atmosphere for the children's birthday party.
Synonyms
In a bold illegal way, often taking things without permission
How Piratey
Surface Forms
Morphology
delightfully + piratey
The meaning is directly compositional: 'delightfully' (charmingly) modifies 'piratey', which is transparently formed from 'pirate' + the productive adjectival suffix '-y' meaning '...like' or 'having the qualities of'. Even though 'piratey' is informal and not always listed in dictionaries, a B1 learner who knows 'delightfully' and 'pirate' can readily infer 'charmingly pirate-like.'
Etymology
The phrase delightfully piratey comes from a playful picture of pirates with a big hat, a loud 'Arr!' and a treasure map that feels fun. Piratey means 'like a pirate' and delightfully adds charm, so the phrase means 'charmingly like a pirate'.